Still water on a calm day is one of the most beautiful sights we can imagine. Who would think of the deadly aspect? (Note the title of my novel on the sidebar.) But yesterday, dramatic scenes unfolded at a UK boat race as a mother and three strangers leapt into a canal to save a baby on the River Exe at Exeter Quay, Devon. The buggy, with the baby strapped in, rolled over the edge and dropped around three feet into the water.

The mother screamed and plunged into the murky waters after her. A 51 year-old race member saw the baby's arms flailing from the sides of the buggy, dived into the river and swam under the sinking buggy to push it to the surface. With the aid of two other members of a dragon boat racing team, he struggled to lift the buggy. He looked into the one-year-old's traumatized face and realized he wouldn't let her drown. With this added impetus, he and his team-mates managed to surface the buggy and push it to the side of the canal, where others lifted the child to safety. He returned for the screaming mother, who was deep in shock. He grabbed her face and told her her baby needed her now. She calmed down while he assisted her to the side.

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk

Watched by bystanders, the first aid team for the dragon boat race comforted the baby and checked her over for injuries. The British Dragon Boat Racing Association praised the actions of the rescuers. Afterward the mother took her baby to hospital for a check-up. Both are believed to making a full recovery. The drama could have ended a different way. It's hard to imagine how a stroller could roll off the wall. One would assume safety measures would have prevented such an occurrence. However, these things happen. A similar drama happened to me beside the mighty Murray, Australia's longest river, when I lived in South Australia. I was sitting with a group of friends watching our children play in the shallows. I looked up at my son's call. His sister's hair was swirling in the water as the current dragged her under. The men plunged in after her and all ended well. However, between one blink and another, water can drown a child.